//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Form and Finesse  
// Story: Lost and Found 
// by Jay-Ruth 
//------------------------------//

The following morning, Princess Twilight Sparkle was lying on the library floor, happily engrossed in a book when Derpy stumbled through the doorway.
“Twilight? Twilight! I need your help!”

The lavender alicorn’s head snapped up in surprise, caught off guard by Derpy Hooves sudden appearance. She leapt to her hooves, the book she had been reading following her in a purple haze of magic. “Derpy, don’t you ever knock?”
As she spoke, she unfurled her wings and stood protectively in front of the loaded book shelves. Evidently, the re-shelving mishap hadn’t been forgotten.

The mare in question eagerly trotted forward, glancing at the large array of books that covered the walls. “Oh, yeah... Um, sorry about that Twilight. It’s just…”
Derpy paused in the middle of the room, shyness overtaking her as she shifted her weight from one side to the other. Nervously, she traced circles on the floor with her hoof. “Listen, I was wondering if… now that I say it out loud, I guess it sounds silly, but… is there any sort of magical cure for clumsiness?”

Twilight stared at her with a blank look, mentally processing the grey mare’s request. After a moment of silence, she shook her head doubtfully.
“Well… no, I don’t think so.”
The book she had been previously levitating fell to the floor with a soft thud as Twilight turned to the book shelves behind her. Several thick volumes slid from the shelves seemingly of their own accord, each floating before the alicorn’s face as she read the titles.
“Spells for the Curing of Common Ailments, Magical Remedies for Hang ups and Habits…”

She paused, frowning at the book hovering before her.
“Magical Muffin Recipes? I wasn’t looking for—”

Derpy quickly snatched the book from her.
“I’ll take that!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and returned to her searching.
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as far as I can tell, there’s no magical cure for butter hooves.”

Derpy sighed and dropped her head, hope ebbing from her. Catching her eye, Twilight smiled sympathetically.
“All the same, perhaps you'll find this useful!”

Derpy lifted her head to find a copy of Form and Finesse; a Reference Guide hovering in front of her face. She took the book from Twilights magical grip and studied the cover closely. The cover of the book assured her that by following the fool proof steps inside, she was guaranteed a complete change of nature. Tucking the book beneath her wing, she smiled at the librarian.
“Thanks Twilight! Maybe this can help.”

At least I hope so…
Derpy thought to herself as trotted down the main road, her new book tucked firmly beneath her wing. The humiliation of yesterday was still painfully fresh in her mind, and she found her pace quickening as the fear of recognition overtook her. She sped to a swift gallop, hooves thudding against the cobblestone as she sped home. It felt good to run, and gradually, her agitation wore away. By the time she had reached her home, her panicked gallop had slowed to a swift trot.

Retrieving her mail bags, Derpy returned to town, picking up her assigned mail load and distractedly completing her usual route. As she slipped assorted letters in packages into their appropriate mail boxes, she mulled over her newly acquired book. Could a simple book really teach her the finer points of not being a screw up? Perhaps it was possible. By the time her mail bags were empty, the sun had just begun to sink in the west. She hastily traveled back through Ponyville, eager to be back in the comfort of her own home. 

Upon returning to her cottage, Derpy hurried inside, quickly closing the door behind her and darting to her bedroom to start her new book. Sprawling out across the mattress, she excitedly flipped to the first page and began to read.




Form and Finesse; a Reference Guide
Chapter one: Understanding Your Predicament

If you’re reading this book, then odds are you suffer from genetic ineptitude.
Fear not, dear reader! For you see, your condition isn't uncommon! Many ponies suffer from the same ailment you do! And as you may have learned already, the solution is only a few simple steps away!




Derpy was enchanted by the book, and would have read through the night if Brick hadn’t eventually appeared beside her, tapping her hoof and gesturing at the clock. The grey mare was surprised to find it was already 11:30.
“Oh, goodness. I should probably sleep shouldn’t I?”

Brick huffed in agreement and hopped from the bed to the carpet bellow, dashing down the hallway. A moment later, he returned, dragging an old worn out blanket behind him. Blanket in tow, he clambered up onto the bed and curled up near the headboard, waiting expectantly.
Derpy grinned at him, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. Yawning, she turned out the lights and crawled under the covers, smiling to herself as new, grand ideas filled her head.

The next morning, Derpy awoke bright and early, her spirits high as the studied the to-do list on the counter.
1.)  Think positive thoughts.
2.)  Remember, you’re only as clumsy as you think you are!
3.)  Pick up muffin supplies at Sugar Cube Corner, and apples at Applejack’s stand.
4.)  Don’t forget the house key.

Derpy started to leave, her front hooves over the door step, then paused, reading over the list again. Darting back inside, she snatched the copper house key from the key rack and tucked it and the small list into the pocket of her mail bag. She mentally reviewed today's objectives one final time as she exited the house and locked the door behind her, humming cheerily. The first chapter of the book has been very specific about thinking positively, as one's mindset greatly affected the manner of one's actions. It had said “half of being clumsy is simply accepting the idea that you’re clumsy.” It was odd to think that part of her klutzy nature was self inflicted. Had she really been the cause of her own blunders? What a strange thought... 

Derpy, preferring ground travel, trotted up the small red dirt path that wound its way through the woods bordering her cottage. Sunlight streamed through the mid autumn foliage, dappling the ground before her. A gentle smile crossed her features, and she inhaled deeply, the scent of pine needles and leaf matter elevating her mood even further. She couldn’t help but think if ever a perfect Saturday morning existed, this was it. Reaching the main road, Derpy picked up her pace, eager to be done with her errands and enjoy the rest of the day. 

With a soft jingle, the door to Sugar Cube Corner swung wide, and the blonde pegasus blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darker, interior light. The events of thursday echoed through her mind, the familiar setting reawakening buried memories. She shook her head as if she attempting to lose an annoying insect, snorting. Today was a good day, and she wasn’t going to let previous events ruin her mood.

Smiling warmly, Derpy lifted a wing in a wave to the mare behind the counter. “Good morning Mrs. Cake!”
Mrs. Cake glanced up from her paper, shooting her a pleasant smile as she subtly moved the vase of flowers on the counter onto a table out of Derpy’s reach.
“Well, good morning dear! So nice to see you! What can I do for ya?”
“I’m running low on ingredients. You know, the usual!”
“Of course, one moment!”
The ginger-maned mare disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Derpy to stand awkwardly in the near empty store. 

Without warning, a bright pink pony burst through the kitchen door, causing Derpy to jump in surprise. An assortment of baking supplies was balanced artfully on her vibrant, fluffy mane.
“Heya Derpy! How are you dooin?”

With a whumph, a bag of flour dropped onto the counter, a small white cloud settling around the base. Derpy sneezed as the white dust tickled her nose. With another whumph, a bag of sugar joined the flour on the counter. Glancing up, Derpy smiled at the mare in front of her. 
“Oh, hi Pinkie! Where’s Mrs. Cake?”
The bright mare grinned, pushing a bottle of vanilla in Derpy’s direction.
“She has a last minute custard order to take care of. I’ve got her covered! Here’s everything you need for those muffins! Ya know, I personally prefer cupcakes myself, though muffins might be my third and three quarters favorite! Or maybe seventh and two fifths favorite. Sooomee people say muffins and cupcakes are a lot alike, but obviously there’s a substantial size difference. And comparing muffins and cupcakes is really unfair, seeings as how cupcakes have the obvious advantage of icing, countered by the incredible variety of batter flavors and additional ingredient combinations of muffins.”

Derpy nodded, pretending she understood what Pinkie Pie had just said. 
“Mmmhmm… that’s interesting Pinkie!”

The blonde mare transferred the assorted ingredients on the counter into her saddle bags. 
“I’d love to hear more but I gotta run some more errands. I’ll see ya later!”
Dropping nine bits on the counter, Derpy turned and trotted out the door, her precious cargo resting heavily on her back. She fished around in her saddlebags and retrieved the crumpled piece of paper that was her list.
“Right! Now for the apples!”

Derpy scanned the brick road in front of her, and sure enough, Applejack had taken her usual place in corner of the marketplace, a vibrantly painted sign advertising her fresh produce. Derpy started off toward it at a cheery pace, then came to a sudden halt, hooves skidding on the cobble stone pavement as her eyes locked on the pale blue stallion in front of her.
Blue Skies? Oh gosh, does he really have to be here right now?

Gulping, Derpy did her best to push every possible clumsy thought from her mind, filling her head with encouraging words of self assurance. 
Remember, “half of being clumsy is simply accepting the idea that you’re clumsy!”
As of yet, she hadn’t bumped into anything or knocked anything over. That was a start! She trotted forward with renewed confidence. 

“Hey Applejack!”
“Wha- well, howdy Derpy!”
The orange cow pony shifted behind the stand, tipping her hat to the grey pegasus.
“Something tells me ya got a hankerin fer some fresh apples.”
Derpy smiled, nodding.
“Sure do! Do you have any red delicious? They’re my favorite!”

As Applejack eyed the assorted baskets of apples, Derpy cast a glance toward Blue Skies, and an unexpected lump emerged in her throat. Colgate stood talking to the stallion, a warm smile on her face, giggling at every other word.
“Eh, Derpy? Ah said, ‘how many do ya want?’”

Derpy turned quickly, distracted.
“Uh yeah, I heard you, five’s good.”
Applejack placed five bright red apples in Derpy’s saddlebag.
“That’d be five bits please!”
Derpy smiled nervously and tossed the coins on the counter, turning to turn around to face Blue Skies. As she did, the strap on her bag caught on the apple stands support posts. Without thinking, she yanked hard on the bag.
“Wait! Derpy-” 

The strap came loose, and the support post came with it. With a groan, the apple stand came crashing down, apples rolling in all directions. Colgate turned and gasped in surprise, while Blue Skies stood, mouth agape. Horrified, Derpy dug through the wooden planks, which had buried Applejack in the downfall.
“Applejack! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!”
The orange mare kicked a piece of wood away from her flank, shaking her head with a small, forced laugh.
“Don’t you worry about it Derpy, it happens! You might wanna let me handle this though.”

Derpy backed away uncertainly, and Blue Skies pushed past her, extending a hoof to help Applejack. Derpy’s eyes widened, her chest tightening in dismay. Colgate stared at her in alarm. “Derpy! What happened? What did you do?” 
She shook her head, backing away. “I— I didn’t mean— it was an accident…” 
But I was doing so well...
Tears welled in her eyes, and she whirled away, fleeing the pile of rubble. 

“Derpy! Derpy, wait!”

Applejack called after her, but the pegasus was already gone. 





Derpy might have cried, had she any breath left in her. She collapsed on a park bench, coughing and panting as she tried to regain her breath. Her lungs burned, and her legs ached after her frenzied retreat. Her blind gallop had carried her far from the marketplace, and now, away from the site of humiliation, she felt a little more at ease. She lifted her head and glanced around, tossing her ruffled forelock from her eyes. As she took in the surrounding scenery, she recognized the decor of Ponyville Park. Derpy often found that this was where she came when she wanted to escape from her troubles, as the open landscape was strangely relaxing. After an emotionally stressful event, she often ended up here. 

Taking a shaky breath, she slipped down from the bench, smoothing out her mane and shuffling her wings. Snuffling, she squinted at the grass beneath her hooves, trying to identify at what point things had taken a turn for the worse. It seemed that she had done really well for the most part, all up to the moment saw Blue Skies. After that, things had fallen apart. The blue eyed stallion had made her nervous, and her nervousness caused her to be careless. It was apparent that, while positive thoughts helped, they couldn’t completely rid her of her problem.

Derpy decided it would be best to go back home, after all, that had been her original plan before the accident. Though she preferred ground travel, it seemed flying would be a more efficient manner of getting home. Her saddlebags were heavy, and her hasty escape from the marketplace had left her exhausted, so she alternated between lazy flight and a slow walk. Because of this, it took her significantly longer to reach her home, and she was thoroughly drained when she did. 

Sighing, the blonde mare closed the door with a soft thud and dropped her mail bag on the counter, wings drooping at her sides. Before anything else, she was in desperate need of a nap. 


Several hours passed before Derpy awoke from her power nap. Sitting upright in her bed, she rubbed her eyes, yawning. Though sleep had significantly improved her mood, she still felt somewhat upset, the memory of her embarrassment clouding her thoughts. She decided to do what she normally did to lift her spirits. Bake more muffins.

Ambling to the kitchen, she blearily spread the freshly bought muffin supplies on the kitchen table, slowly awaking from her stupor. Taking a large mixing bowl from the cabinet, she began to sing softly to herself.
“All you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix.”

With every movement, her mood lightened, and soon she was smiling again.
“Then you take a little somethin’ sweet not sour, a bit of salt, just a pinch.”

Brick crawled up onto the table next to her, sniffing the mixing bowl tentatively. Squeaking, he cast the grey pegasus a hopeful look. She grinned and offered him a spoonful of batter.
“Baking these treats is such a cinch, add a teaspoon of vanilla. 
Add a little more, and you count to four and never get your fillaaa-”

Transferring the contents of her mixing bowl into a muffin pan, she placed the aluminum tin in the oven, spinning less-than-gracefully as she set the empty bowl in the sink.
“Muffins, so sweet and tasty, 
Muffins, don’t be too hasty! 
Muffins, muffins, muffins, muffins!”

Derpy laughed as she returned the ingredients to the pantry. Pinkie Pie and her strange antics never failed to cheer her up. After washing her dishes and cleaning up after her cooking, the blonde mare retrieved Form and Finesse from her bedroom and sat at the kitchen table, Twilight’s book between her hooves.




Form and Finesse; a Reference Guide
Chapter Five: The Next Step
In previous chapters, you have studied the basis of your predicament, learning all the finer details of just what makes a klutz out of a perfectly decent pony. Now we come to the part you have been anticipating! The secret to salvation. You might be surprised to learn that reforming your clumsy habits is easier than it sounds! The first step is to keep thinking those positive thoughts! Remember, you’re only as clumsy as you believe you are! Now, get ready for part two: train yourself. It’s time to put that positive thinking into action! Watch your hooves, keep an eye out for potential disasters, and watch out for settings where it can be easy to trip or bump into someone...




DING!

The lovely scent of freshly baked muffins filled the kitchen, and Derpy set the book down, scuttling to the oven to free her precious muffins. She had been experimenting with flavors, this batch being coconut cream, and by the smell, they were going to be delicious. After she had let them cool, the mare carefully extracted a pale muffin, and quickly found they were still a little too warm to handle. Dropping the pastry onto the counter, she shook her hooves to cool them off, pondering the most recent chapter of her book.

Carefully, Derpy dished half of the fresh muffins into a basket, mentally dissecting her newly acquired information. The idea of completely changing her nature seemed fairly complicated, but the book assured her that it wouldn’t be too hard. She recalled it had also mentioned something about “professional training”. Whatever did that mean? She considered this as she covered the basket with a handkerchief. For whom the muffins were intended, she wasn’t sure, but she always enjoyed sharing her baking. 

Derpy absentmindedly studied a crystal prism resting on the window sill. The small trinket had been a gift from Twilight, and she was rather fond of the way it refracted the sunlight from outside. Was there such a thing as professional training for her sort of thing? The idea of someone who made a career out of teaching ponies how to stand seemed slightly ridiculous. Even so, perhaps there might be someone willing to at least give her a few pointers. But who on earth would one consult on such a thing? Her gaze was still fixed on the sunlight gem by the window, and as she studied it, a thought occurred to her. She knew exactly who she wanted to share her muffins with.